By Mikelia
Lourinha,
Portugal 
Hi
I have three bougainvilleas (in Portugal) and the poor things are looking very sad. The leaves have nearly all gone and it looks very scraggy. They about two years old and although they have flowered they have never been beautiful. Apart from watering them in the summer I have never done anything to them. Can anyone help me revive these poor plants?
Thank you
Emilia
18 Mar, 2011
Answers
Hi hanks for your reply.
They are in the ground and we just had a lot of rain (maybe too much rain!) but I will buy the rose food and try it.
Thank again
Emilia (mikelia)
19 Mar, 2011
If they are on a rock ledge, and the drainage is poor, that will also make them unhappy.
19 Mar, 2011
OK thank you
they are on a rock ledge so it could be the drainage.
Thanks again
20 Mar, 2011
Are they in pots or in the ground, Mickelia? Most need a fair sized pot to do well, especially if they aren't a dwarf type. The top 2 cm of compost should dry out between waterings--around here, every other day in the summer, probably less often in Portugal. In the ground, I would give them a deep soaking--to a meter into the soil--about once a month. Rose food is the best formula of fertilizer for them, in my experience. Just follow the package directions. They rarely have pest and disease problems.
19 Mar, 2011